The In the Balance articles by Golden and colleagues
(1) and Leipzig and colleagues
(2) clarified many serious
issues related to geriatrics. Nobody knows what lies ahead, but there is one
thing that people can accurately forecast in the next few decades: population
structure. The declining birth rate and increasing life expectancy push the
world, industrialized countries in particular, toward a super-graying society.
It is essential in this situation to create a sustainable system that provides
better care with lower costs for the elderly. Along with improving
reimbursement for geriatricians, increasing the geriatric workforce, and other
geriatrics-related...